Method of mounting and packaging small articles.



W. E. ELLIOTT.

METHOD OF MOUNTING AND PACKAGlNG SMALL ARTICL'ES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.18, 19.16

1,295,1QL Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. E. ELLIOTT. METHOD OF MOUNTING AND PACKAGING SMALL ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18. I918.

' Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

union.

' WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN BUTTON & FASTENER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

METHOD OF MOUNTING AND PACKAGING SMALL ARTICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 25, 19 19.

Application filed April 18, 1916. Serial No. 91,938.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT,

a citizenv of the United States of America,

residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kentand State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Mounting and Packaging Small Articles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable'others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to methods of forming packages for small articles such as shoe buttons, combined buttons and attaching staples, and eyelets or the like which have been temporarily attached in a series to a mounting strip, and to packages for such articles.

It will be noted that it is acharacteristic of the particular articles mentioned and of many similar articles that they comprise a head or its equivalent and a projectingpart of less size than the head. Machines for attaching or inserting articles of this type commonly comprise means for presenting a succession of the articles to the inserting or attaching instriunentalities. These presenting means usually include a raceway in which the articles are held in a predetermined position or relation to one another for delivery to the attaching mechanism. In order to supply such raceways with articles of the kind in question, it has been common to use a magazine or hopper in which a comparatively large quantity of the articles may be deposited with-out regard to their relative positions. It has been proposed, however, to attach the article's temporarily in a series to a flexible strip, such as paper, in the relative positions which they are to occupy in the raceway and then to serve this strip with its attached articles to the upper end of the raceway so that each article may be detached and introduced immediately into the raceway without altering'its relative position.

F or the successful operation of such an arrangement, it is desirable that the articles h ld be held only l osely to the strip in such a manner that they may be readily removed for introduction into the raceway. On the other hand, it is obvious that the articles should be retained upon the strip against loss or displacement. The temporary retention of articles of this type upon a mounting strip may be effected, for example, by passing the projecting portion of the article through the strip either with or without the previous'formation of a hole in the strip. Articles thus mounted will be loosely retained in a predetermined position with respect to one another and the strip but are apt to be readily displacedv in' handling.

One of the objects of the present inven-' tion is to provide a method of forming a compact package in which a mounting strip, with its attached articles, is so arranged that the articles are securely held against loss or accidental displacement and yet may be readily removed for delivery to an attaching machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact package having the charac teristics above-mentioned.

Preferably, according to this invention, the articles are loosely attached to a flexible strip by forcing the projecting portion thereof through the strip and then the strip is coiled upon a reel in such a manner that the co-aotion of the strip and the reel assists in the retention of the articles upon the strip. This may be accomplished, for example, by arranging the package in such a manner that the part of the article which rests upon the mounting strip, which part is herein termed for convenience the head, is interposed between a portion or thewhole of the mounting strip, adjacent to the polnt of 1ts attachment thereto, and the reel.

Another feature 01": the invention consists in a method of packaging small articles, which have been loosely mounted upon a mounting strip, in the practice of which the edge of the strip is folded over the heads of the articles and the strip then wound with its attached articles upon a reel, thus securing not only the holding eflect of the turned over edge but causing the heads of the a 'tlthe coil with one edge of the mounting strip overlapping the heads of the articles on the adjacent turn. If the edge of the strip has been turned over the heads of the articles thereon, this feature may be combined with the overlapping arrangement of adjacent turns just described. r 7

Still another feature of the invention relates to the provision of auxiliary cores or separating members which may be conveniently disposed between successive layers of a package to prevent interference between the turns of the respective layers.

Yet other features of the invention relate to the, construction and arrangement of a package having the above-mentioned characteristics.

Other features of'the invention will be described in connection withcertain illustrative applications thereof but it will be understood that the invention is not limited to use with any particular article or arrangement which is hereinafter later described but is to be construed by reference to the claims, wherein it is sought to define the true scope of the invention.

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like parts through out the several figures of the drawings, and in which,

Figure 1 is a section taken longitudinally of a package of eyelets put up in accord"- ance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is the end view of the device shown in Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan of a mounting strip showing a number of eyelets thereon.

Fig. a is a perspective view illustrating a package formed with the aid of a reel one end of which is broken away to show the manner in which the strip is wound upon the reel and auxiliary cores are used in the package to support consecutive layers of the coil. 7 a

Fig, 5 1s an enlarged transverse sectlon through the mounting strlp and showing the form which it preferably takes after it has been placed in, the package.

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section through a package wherein combined buttons and attaching staples temporarily attached to a mounting strip, are wound in a coil in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the package shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a side view of a fragment of a mounting strip with a plurality of comindefinite length and is formed of flexible material such as paper. This strip may have consecutive openings formed one after another along the strip for the retention of the shanks 3 of the eyelets In common with many similar articles, eyelets, as well known, are provided with a portion 4 known as the head which is considerably larger than the projecting portion 3. It will be understood that the prior formation of the openings 2 is optional and that if desired, these openings may be formed by forcing the shanks 8 through the strip. If. desired, the strip may be made of sucha width that the edges thereof project beyond the heads of the eyelets and such edges may be crimped, as indicated at 5, for a purpose which will later appear.

In order to form this elongated strip with its attached articles int-o a compact and convenient package it is wound; intoa coil which may conveniently be in the form of a helix. The formation of such a coil is assisted by the provision of a reel comprising a center core 6 and end members 7. In this particular illustration, the strip is shown coiled upon the reel in such a fashion that the heads of the articles point outwardly away from the reel. It will be obvious'that the tendency of such an arrangement is to force the articles out of the strip and in order to overcome this tendency, one edge of the strip is turned over the heads of the articles, as shown at 8, so that a, portion of the strip adjacent to the point of attachment overlies the heads of the articles and, conversely a portion of the head is interposed between a portion of the strip and the reel. It should be noted that the coiling of such a strip with the edge folded over, results in tensioning the edge which overlies the heads of the articles and that this effect is accentuated by the crimping of the strip.

Crimping the other edge of the strip offers the further advantage of preventi turns will also assist in holding down the turned over edge of the strip. When a coil of one layer has been formed upon the core 6, an auxiliary core 9 is preferably wrapped around the first layer so that it forms a smooth surface for the winding of the next layer and tends to prevent interference between the parts of successive layers. Obviously, also, it assists in the retention of the articles within the package.

To this end, I have devised a novel auxil-.

iary core which is illustrated in detail in Flgs. 3 and 4 and comprlses a rectangular sheet of material, such as paper, having a width substantially equal to the distance between the ends 7 and a length suflicient to wrap around .and completely cover the previous layer of the package. This core will preferably be formed with a projection or tongue 10 which may be inserted in the Y manner shown in Fig. 4 under the last turn of the previous layer to retain it in place temporarily until the first turn of the next layer shall bend the sheet into a cylinder and secure it in position. In consecutive layers of the package, alternate edges of the mounting strip are turned over the heads of the articles and auxiliary cores are provided between successive layers until a package of the desired size is formed.

These features will be seen from an inspec tion of Fig. 1.

In further illustration of this invention, a slightly modified package is shown in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, in which package shoe buttons have been temporarily attached to a mounting strip l by the insertion of the eyes 12 of the buttons in the strip either with or Without the previous formation of a slot such as shown at the right of Fig. 10. If desired, attaching staples may be combined with the shoe buttons, these staples being inserted through the eyes of the buttons either before or after securing the buttons upon the strip. It is evident that if the staples are placed in the eyes before their attachment to the strip, they must also be forced through the strip. In this package the heads of the articles are shown interposed directly between the main portion of the strip adjacent to the point of attachment and the core of the reel so that, as the strip is yvound upon the reel preferably in the form of helical coils in a fashion similar to that already described, the articles will be firmly secured in place by reason of the fact that the heads are interposed between the manner as has been already described in connection with Figs. 1 to 5.

- WVith a package of the character described,

a large number of small articles may be tem-' porarily secured in consecutive relation and in a predetermined position upon a flexible strip sothat they may be conveniently delivered to an attaching machine, as for example, to the raceway thereof; Such a package also accords a means of retaining articles in such a'manner that they will not be readily split or lost from the package. In removing the articles from the package, the auxiliary cores prevent successive layers from becoming intermingled because of any undue tensioning of the strip and it will be noted that such cores are retained in position until the last turn of the layer supported thereby is unwound'whereupon they fall away from the package without manual interference.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The method of packaging small articles each having a head and a projecting part of less size than the head, for delivery in succession from a mounting strip to an attaching machine, which consists in loosely attaching the articles to'a flexible strip by forcing said projecting parts through the strip and then winding said strip in a helical coil upon a reel so as to cause the co-action of the successive coils to assist in the reten-. tion of the articles firmly in position upon the strip.

2. The method of packaging small articles which consists in loosely attaching said articles to a mount of indefinite length formed of flexible material and then turning one edge of the mount back over the articles and Winding said mount with its attached articles on a reel with a portion of the mount overlying a portion of the article adjacent the point of attachment, to the end that the articles are retained in the package by the mount, substantially as described.

3. The method of packaging small articles each having a head and a projecting part of less size than the head, which consists in providing a mount of flexible material of indefinite length, crimping one edge of said mount, detachably attaching said articles to the mount by inserting said projecting parts of the articles through the mount, and then winding the mount and attached articles on a reel in a helical coil with the heads of the articles between a portion of the mount jacent turn of the coil so that said turned over port] on is not only tensioned but is also turn.

and the reel so that the mount will. hold said articles againstdetachment from the package thus formed.

4; The method? of packaging small articles each having a head and a projecting part of less size than the head which consists in providing a mount of flexible material of indefinite length, detachalol'y attaching said articles to the mount by inserting said projecting parts: of the articles through the mount, turning one edge of the mount back over the heads of the articles and forming said strip into a coil to tension the overlapping edge of the mount and hold the articles securely against detachment, substantially as described.

5. The method of packaging small articles each having a head and a projecting part of less size than the head which consists in1pro1- viding amount of indefinite length formed of flexible material, detachably attaching said articlesto the mount by inserting said projecting parts of the articles through the .mount, turning an edge of the mount back over the heads of the articles and helically winding the mount with its:attached'azrticles back and forth on a reel having a length several times that of the width ofthe mount, the consecutive layers of the mount having alternate edges of the mount turned over said heads, substantially as described.

6. The method of packaging small articles, each having a head and a projecting portion of less size than the head, which consists in temporarily attaching the articlesto an" elongated fiexible strip by inserting the projecting portions through said strip, bending one edge of the strip over the heads, and winding said strip in a coil with each turn overlapping the turned over portion of the ad' held down by the co-action of the adjacent 7. The method of packaging small articles, each having a head and a pro ecting portion of less size than the head, which consists in loosely attachingthe articles to anelongated flexible strip by inserting the'projecting portions of said articles through apertures in the material of the strip and forming said strip with the articles mounted thereon into a coil arr nged so that successive portions of the coil assist in the retention in the strip of the articles attached to previously formed portions of the coil. 7

8. The method of packaging small articles which consists in forcing a portion of said article through an elongated strip and in winding said strip into acoil with one edge of the strip overlapping the heads of "the articles upon the adjacent turn of the coil whereby the articles are securely positioned and held against displacement.

9. The method of packaging small articles which consists in detachably securing said articles to a mount of indefinite length formed of flexible material, and helically winding said mount back and forth on a reel having a length several times greater than the width of the mount with successive turns overlapping the articles on the adjacent turns so that the articles are held from detachment by the mount, substantially as;

of material wound on the reel and carrying a' plurality of articles detachab-ly secured thereto, said strip being'wound in a helical coil having a length several times greater than the width of the strip and arranged with successive turns overlapping the articles on adjacent turns so that the articles a-reheld from detachment by the strip.

12. A packageincluding a reel, strip of material wound back and forth lengthwise of the reel, said strip carrying a plurality of articles each having a head and a part projecting therefrom through the strip, said strip at one edge being bent back over the heads of said articles.

13'. A package for temporarily supporting and retaining a plurality of small articles comprising an elongated, flexible strip having articles temporarily attached theretoand arranged in a series lengthwise of said strip, one edge of the strip being crimped whereby the strip may be readily arranged in at helical coil without buckling.

1.4:. A package for temporarily supporting and retaining a plurality ofsmall articles, each having ahead and a projecting portion of less size than the head, comprising an elongated flexible strip with the articles arranged in a series thereon and having the projecting portions of the articles inserted in the strip, one edge of the strip being curved over the heads of the articles, said strip with the attached articles being arranged in a coil with each turn overlapping.

the curved over portion of the adjacent turn of the coil.

15. A package for temporarily supporting a plurality of small articles, each having a head and a projecting portion of less size than the head, comprising an elongated strip 7 of flexible material with the articles arranged in a series thereon and having their projecting portions passed through the strip, said strip being arranged in a coil With one edge of the strip overlapping the heads of the articles in the adjacent turn whereby each turn assists in retaining the articles in the adjacent turn of said flexible strip.

16. In a package comprising an elongated strip arranged in a coil With successive layers a separating member adapted to be interposed between said successive layers com- 10 prising a body portion of sufficient size to be Wrapped around said coiled strip and a tab portion adapted to be inserted beneath a turn of said strip in order to retain said core temporarily inposition until the strip has been Wound once around the same.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

